board of directors

President

Michael J. Bland, Psy.D, D. Min., LCPC
Dr. Bland is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor.  His clinical practice includes evaluation of and psychotherapy with children, adolescents and adults as well as psychotherapy with couples.  He has a particular interest in psychopathology, symptom management, trauma, issues relating to sexuality, and the intersection of psychotherapy and spirituality.  He teaches at Loyola University Chicago, serves on several non-profit Boards, and served as a founding member of the National Review Board of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2002-2007.  The purpose of the National Review Board is preventing the sexual abuse of minors by persons in the service of the Church.

Vice-President

Thomas A. Ross, MSW, LCSW, CADC
Mr. Ross maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Evanston. He specializes in working with individuals and families with addiction issues. He is also an adjunct faculty member at National-Louis University.

Secretary

Carol Wilson
Ms. Wilson is a professional journalist who has covered telecom technology for the past 25 years, in print and online. She currently serves as Chief Editor-Events for Light Reading. She previously covered business, politics, higher education, the arts and sports for publications in Wisconsin and North Carolina, and her work has been recognized with multiple professional awards. She has been involved in numerous community leadership roles, including chairing the District 73.5 Foundation, leading fundraising events for District 73.5 PTA and band programs and for Niles North High School fine arts programs, as well as serving in various leadership positions at Central United Methodist Church in Skokie and Trinity Lutheran Church in Evanston. Ms. Wilson is a former Girl Scout troop leader and winner of the Beaman DeNoyer award for service unit leadership.

Treasurer

Scott Kaplan
Mr. Kaplan is a Partner at Brown, Kaplan + Liss LLP. He specializes in family owned businesses and not for profit audit preparations, in which he works closely with clients to ensure that they comply with federal and state regulatory requirements. He is currently a member of the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club and the Kevin Kaplan Foundation, and has served on the Board of the Evanston Mental Health Association.

Carolyn Anthony   
Ms. Anthony has been the Director of the Skokie Public Library since 1985. She is a Past President of the Illinois Library Association and a past Chair of the Illinois State Library Advisory Committee. She has served as a member-at-large on the Council of the American Library Association and the Board of the Public Library Association. Currently, she is an active member of the Urban Libraries Council and a member of the PLA Leadership Task Force. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University. She is a past President of the Rotary Club of Skokie Valley and past President of the Women’s Board of (then) Rush North Shore Hospital. She also served as Vice President of the Board of Centre East and currently serves as Vice President of the Skokie Chamber of Commerce.   

Timothy E. Brown
Rev. Timothy Brown currently serves as Senior Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Evanston.  He has worked in pastoral ministry in several congregations on the west coast and the midwest. In the course of that ministry he has engaged directly in issues of advocacy, refugee resettlement and social service provision. Rev. Brown holds an MBA and worked in the realm of financial management prior to his ordination in 1994.

Robert Carty, LCSW, CADC, CCJP
Mr. Carty has worked in the social services field for nearly 35 years, in such areas as addictions treatment, mental health counseling, criminal justice, and child welfare. His professional background includes experience as a therapist, supervisor, administrator, author, consultant, and trainer.

Candice Hughes
Ms. Hughes is a school psychologist and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Her organization, Bridging Cultures, works to promote cross-cultural education. Until recently, she also served as President of the north suburban chapter of NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill).

Margaret T. Kray
Ms. Kray is a senior communications consultant for The Segal Company. She has an MBA in Human Resources Management and is a long-time resident of Skokie.

James C. Lytle
Mr. Lytle is a founding partner of First Bank and Trust of Evanston. He has been a leader in many civic activities including service as Mayor of Evanston. He is currently involved in the leadership of many non-profit organizations.

Kathleen Occhipinti, Ph.D.
Dr. Occhipinti held a faculty position for over 21 years with St. Joseph Hospital and Northwestern University Family Medicine Residency. Currently she maintains a private counseling practice and consulting services. She has worked with a variety of educational and non-profit organizations, as well as, for-profit businesses. Her areas of specialization include professional and leadership development, change in the workplace, and stress management.

Neal Takiff
Mr. Takiff is an attorney with Whitted, Cleary & Takiff, LLC, a firm that focuses on child welfare, mental health, juvenile law, disability law and special education.